This invention relates to the butchering of livestock, and more particularly to the transporting, stunning, and slaughtering of livestock.
Generally, livestock, for example poultry, is raised at one location and butchered at another. Most of the current and traditional means for transporting and stunning poultry involve much manual physical labor. Some have attempted to reduce the labor involved, and others have attempted to reduce the expense of transporting livestock, but they have failed to achieve both objectives. Current transportation and handling of livestock is inefficient and labor intensive. In addition, traditional methods of handling and transporting live animals have led to bruising of the meat of the animals. This is undesirable as the appearance and quality of the meat is very important to the consumer purchasing it. Thus, there is a need for an inexpensive automated system for transporting livestock from where the livestock is raised to where it is butchered. There is also a need for an apparatus that can be used in such an automated system that is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use.
The present invention is a cage for holding and transporting livestock and includes a cage frame that provides the general structure and shape of the cage. The cage frame defines an opening at one end of the cage and a cavity near its bottom. A door is included and sized to generally fit in the opening. The door has a bottom portion and a top horizontal rod, and is adapted to prevent livestock from exiting the opening when in a closed position. The cage also includes a member attached to the frame along which the top horizontal rod rides when the door is opened. The cavity in the cage frame is adapted to receive the bottom portion of the door when the door is in the closed position so that the door will not open unintentionally.
Another aspect of the present invention is a cage for holding and transporting livestock including a frame that provides the general structure and shape of the cage and defines an opening at one end of the cage. It also includes at least one door adjacent the opening with the door having a bottom. A cradle is attached to the frame and is adapted to receive the bottom of the door to hold the door open when the bottom of the door nests in the cradle.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is a method of loading livestock into a cage, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a cage including a frame having a front and a lower cavity, a door adjacent the front of the cage in an initial position, the door having top horizontal rod at the top of the door, the door also having a bottom and a cradle attached to the frame, the door being in an initial position with the bottom of the door in the lower cavity; (b) opening the door by motivating the top of the door rearwardly sufficient to pull the bottom of the door out of the lower cavity; (c) placing the bottom of the door in the cradle to hold the door in the open position; (d) loading livestock into the cage; and (e) returning the door to its initial position.
These and other features, advantages and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims and appended drawings.